Answer woman: Pony update, Swannanoa River Road mystery

Answer Nation, I have never been prouder and more aghast at your dark creativity.

Last week I solicited answers to the joke proposed by my colleague, Mark Barrett, “Why did the Ashevillian cross the road?” following the announcement that the city is exploring whether they’d save money by having residents put all their trash on the same side of the street, to reduce the distance garbage trucks travel.

A couple were, um, ineligible for print, but the rest were inspiring. My fave picks include:

“To get to the other side where they can complain incessantly, because complaining is always better on the other side.”

“To stand in line at the Chocolate Lounge, because that’s life.”

“To beat a drum with tempeh, and then meditate on it.”

And the least-sensical yet most striking of the bunch, “to slap a vegan.”

So… that!

Onward to your burning questions, my smart aleck responses and the real deal. Thanks for the giggles, and the questions.

Question: I’m curious what happened to Grayson Bruce, the little boy who was bullied for wearing a My Little Pony backpack. Did he ever go back to his school? Is he still being home schooled? I worry about what becomes of these kids who receive so much notoriety then you never hear about them again.

My answer: Science indicates any kid who can compel Glenn Beck to purchase a pink pony and post it on his desk is destined to be OK.

Real answer: Grayson Bruce is no worse for the media storm wear, according to his mom, Noreen Bruce.

Grayson is now enrolled at Hominy Valley Elementary, and has already made lots of friends, she said.

“He’s doing so great, it’s amazing,” Bruce said. “A student on his first day at school said, ‘I’ve never seen a new kid talk so much,’ so he’s still Grayson for sure.”

Grayson left his former elementary school, Candler Elementary, following an incident concerning a My Little Pony backpack that made national news.

The 9-year-old said he was prevented from carrying his backpack to school because administrators told him it “triggered bullying.” More than 75,000 people like the Support for Grayson Facebook page within days, and the family did several national media spots from Good Morning America to Glenn Beck.

Bruce said a couple of kids in Grayson’s new class asked if he was ‘that kid,’ but for the most part it has been life as usual.

Grayson and his mom have been fundraising for the family of Michael Molrones, an 11-year-old North Carolina boy and My Little Pony fan who was bullied so severely that he attempted suicide. The family has raised almost $1,400 from T-shirts designed by Grayson that read “Keep calm and be yourself.

Grayson now has a new, even bigger My Little Pony backpack for school. Bruce said he sits next to a little girl who is an equally avid MLP fan.

Question: Really???? I think it’s been over a year since the road next to Lowe’s on Swannanoa River Road was dug up, and the lines have still not been re-painted. Seriously??? The signs are still there indicating unmarked pavement. The part that hasn’t been repainted is probably somewhere around 50 feet long. How hard is it to finish the job and get it painted???

My answer: I admit it, I’m a sucker for a question with a 60/40 word to question mark ratio. It’s like the emoticon of yesteryear.

Real answer: You’ll have to save your question marks for another street painting emergency — this one should be taken care of soon.

City traffic engineer Jeff Moore said the city hopes to complete the work by end of next week.

Swannanoa River Road is apparently a bit of a city/ DOT hot potato.

The NCDOT issued an emergency encroachment for the repair of a broken water line several months ago, but the city is charged with doing the repairs and re-painting.